For a period in my life, I traveled to a different place for New Year's Eve to bring in the New Year. My favorites were Rio and Amsterdam. Rio was simply a sight to behold. Amsterdam had this wonderful sense of anarchy in the streets with every person having their own major arsenal of fireworks.

The Scottish capital will bid an epic three-day-long farewell to 2013, courtesy of its traditional Hogmanay celebrations. The event kicks off with a torchlight procession on December 30, and segues into a massive street party, flagship outdoor concert (headlined by the Pet Shop Boys this year), and a midnight fireworks display over Edinburgh Castle, before winding down with the "Scot:Lands" multivenue music and arts festival on January

2. Dubai

Dubai is a city of superlatives, and its New Year's Eve celebrations are no exception. This year, the desert city will host the world's largest fireworks display—touting some 450,000 Grucci sparks, illuminating iconic structures like Burj Khalifa (the world's tallest building) and Burj Al Arab, along with a 62-mile stretch of seaside

3. Hong Kong

Hong Kong is planning its biggest countdown yet for 2014, with a dazzling "pyromusical" that will incorporate fireworks, lighting effects, and festive tunes at Victoria Harbour. Craving more? Come back in late January, when the city goes into festivities mode yet again to ring in Chinese New Year.

4. Rio de Janeiro

Rio's storied shores at Copacabana Beach are transformed into a sea of white on New Year's Eve, as more than two million revelers, draped in all-white garb, descend upon the beach for Reveillon, a uniquely Brazilian celebration infused with religious, traditional, and superstitious beliefs. Fireworks and live music (including samba, naturally, and major headliners like will.i.am for 2014) set the mood, as participants make new year offerings (via little rafts sent out to sea) to Lemanjá, the goddess of the sea.

5. Berlin

Berlin's mile-long Silvester party packs some million revelers between the city's iconic Brandenburg Gate and Victory Column. The free, open-air fest is fueled by live music and DJs, food stands and bars, laser and fireworks shows, and plenty of Berliners who know how to party.